Ryan Leslie: From Harvard To the Billboard Charts

3/4/2013 7:03PM

Recording artist and chart-topping music producer Ryan Leslie talks to WSJ's Lee Hawkins about his journey from a 15-year-old Harvard freshman to a major record producer and now one of the top independent recording artists in the music world.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... Ch ... when Ryan Leslie deliver the commencement speech at Harvard University in the ninety nine ... in nineteen year-old recording artist and music producer told the audience that his plan was to become a musical superstar ... some in the crowd let ... him as he has now signed Wednesday after ... becoming a chart topping music producer and recording artists ... making noise harping on the US ... I sit down with Ms to talk about his journey ... in his future ... a lot of noise outside the United States in the past what have you been to ... been told ... no ... with the transition of business from ... more than easy production ... behind the scenes were ... to be in the fun and ... you're pursuing that childhood dream of being a ... full-fledged rocks ... I ... I ... in that was consistently your dream from the beginning I can remember ... of the first time and that you you told me that is when you were a producer for bad boys ... in you told me that Tommy would allow ... and puffy use to always tell you what he wanted the inner ... ear hustling that were way what did they mean by that and why did you persists to continue to become an art ... I think the ... really ... be in the ... humanities detail ... the mobiles that our ... own ... and they were talking last winter was just a generation of income ... and company ... generating income in a way to ... know is ... just left of center of what you love to do ... is not the way only ... you know and I still lack of ... in their tangerine which is you know what I really consider myself a lot ... of the embodiment of ... what the American dream is being able to make a living to which he loved it ... and so for me production was always is a stepping stone to amass enough ... money ... so that eventually as the music industry shifted ... to buy my contract now ... in reinvests solemnly that had earned ... into doing what I really love to do which is being asked to explain ... and don't you just go run around the world ... and please those who were screaming audiences ... fan ... then ... because a lot of people we are story but some people are just starting to find out why Ryan this week ... that fifteen years old ... you went to Harvard ... CT sixteen hundred on the STT ... creditors ... graduated and nineteen ... and ... at nineteen when you gave the commencement speech at Harvard ... you said that he wanted to be a performer ... and some people that ... tell me about that ... I mean is is that to think you know after four years and a hundred twenty thousand dollars ... with an effective though ... arguably one of the greatest educations ... to ... the world has offered an offer ... on this still may be other ... opportunities in pathways that you can take ... as the asthe young dry and even then the can or can you design the menu ... is only so many African Americans in one Iraq or ... that you know they want to make music ... you know why can't we have an incredible ... own I'll outlier like it we have some one who is so ... incredible spokesperson we'll get another Brock Obama so speaking of ... infamy ... it always once again comes back to we tussle before which is ... doing what you love to do door which is up to do it is the way is to point to get ... the best ... to the world ... and I knew there really anything else that I did with it was you know taking the job of All consulting group for ... billion in the community service and philanthropy ... initiatives in which I was involved in I have a passion for those things but ... none of them ... even remotely ... on touches the past that for our ... live performance of music but they really meant to ... help prepare you for that experience and ... good when you look at ... even the fact that you're building your brand in Europe that business asking ... if he didn't have that business are you when you think you could do ... now out the right one is now out the right man has been with ... the right ... team and so on ... so this really unique about my team is that my team is actually built ... and trained from the ground up by myself ... it also means and when you look around at my team ... you see young people than our old you know ... twenty three years ... old and younger ... on Tuesday as I'm able to bring them in before the jaded ... by their own home says sex is for ... Mrs in the music industry ... of data to come in with a clean slate and I can show them what I believe the futures and be active build a team of that in ... meetings PXP cases the names of what we're going to ... own with a future minded ... outlook to speak this is a good time for that we look at our Frank Ocean you look at Miguel and these guys are ... kind of in a still remain because they're not necessarily your traditional RB to ... what the what you've done now you've been in RBI you've established yourself but now you're breaking in ... to the rest in you can read ... what is that down for the well because a lot of people would think that you would ... you can read ... taking ... the the the the the the ... I ... wouldn't get done for you from a business to import ... crucible edges look into ... look ... I look at where I wanted to be ... no ... and um you know in in a record glory to him as the festival's Court on Bonnaroo ... and what looked ... it has the biggest race all this is ... as big as usher in his own ... you know it so hard to believe was doing more of the electronic game has been easy ... he wasn't ... ever invited to play the best for you when I get my musical heroes looking like ... Jimi Hendrix manner I look in on you know in in Jamie's don't plan on ... you know even Stevie wonder and look who argue the boutique on this when I look at the performances ... they really touched me inspired me and I see them play on those ... festival stages ... and realize that you know that ... the most suited up ... super sexy up ... you know that though there was an appealing to that audience at the Fed will manage it to me ... that's what one a plane to tell what this people at that level border region and ... in you have people responding ... the way that I see people respond hinge terrifying because I'm ... usually when I see you do have a fever ... last night and to show ... you guys were both in push ups in the ... backstage before the show in muscle tissue ... while playing away ... the detail a level that you bring to the show is is something extraordinary think you would you put in a lot of work yes absolutely aam iconic classic approach you will always be in your own person ... of out of the people that you probably listened to their mobiles in the industry ... had self interest does well it because it is that this that I can remember you telling me that ... I had a meeting with Tom human toll ... so he told you ... this is the percentage that were to offer you ... take it or leave it ... and if you decide not to do it I'm still don't have my plane still don't have my mansion ... and at that point you decided to go into the deal ... tell me about that what what kind of thought process ... go through the kid loved it you know we sleepily as those in the ... interview talking you know well that happened this year is probably the biggest shed ... that had ever seen ... in my life or even ... in ... my parents let you know at one ... time in as cover from a kid whose parents were Salvation Army ... managed ... to get into exactly so you know ... my kids have really sacrifice everything that they had in the service of others right so ... they raise a family of four fifteen hundred dollars a month I mean even let me be eight to nine dollars a month right ... um and so to be sitting there ... and don't you know the salsa music ... that has created ... to be looking ... at ... five hundred thousand dollars plus check ... insane to months of Maine you know what should I do here ... on ... to me that I think you did ... considered an investment in myself and that was designed and some coaxing from town is willing to lie in what would you consider this an investment in so you know the the the the league is set up ... the new David P dead that you know my dad had made a significant input himself and dad ... own autocratic option ... to allow me to create music I'm with the right in the chair for double the amount and don't ... you know ... I mean ... I just got to the point of the jokes are what I look at the other options and ahead of course I could've waited out you know ... of course goes copyright swindled to be worth millions of dollars you could wind up ... but at that time ... only not think anyone can can can ... can relate to the idea that ... you still need cash to live ... you know you need cash to live in the New York City that is that she you know so ... you know that I was in a one bedroom apartment in Hong ... Kong willing to take over the whole brownstone with aunts and not only take over the whole brownstone but have another ... home place on select a separate little workspace when Central Park North ... on you know that the elevator that opened until you know these these all a dream that you have to as the young ... home ... as the go just to go to guy was to be fired and I was to write you know ... the out what all the trappings of ... of of the rock star like you know it and I think I should be blamed on to getting one can really blame me for one in the day ... I do think that you get the door for ... with ... the ... perception or or the state ... of education ... yet having be having a Harvard degree ... sort of undermine your credibility in some people's eyes ... as an artist and producers actors ... well ... I mean is all most of the lake ... and to go I mean is still dealing with now is I ... you know ... can people really been making up what percentage ... of the population ... worldwide can see that you know they went to an Ivy League school you know ... and then what even smaller percentage of the population considered in which to be the school ... you know and and was a senior Ivy League school in nineteen oh what even smaller percentage of the population can say that um you know the the the school is so well on their achievement testing of standardized achievement tests ... and realized over time the guy in terms of talk to me is that why new this ... year and unbelievable person ... you and me so that's why you music is in connecting man because ... the stuff that should talking about you know ... um ... I think people can see through ... the fact that you are actually intentionally trying the dumbing down is not really I'm ... you know and and I would have meetings with top we now have meetings with you know ... of people on his team and you know there was a will write in you know ... the ... love Saul's an art piece on the right man to elementary middle reflect your ... your Hartford ... pedigree you know and out you know this is this is what I fell in need of a couple of things one is that ye may be those stalls didn't reflect my ... Harvard pedigree ... but it at that time you know I already like I said I had just collected a chat select ... committee in ... and really what I was mostly ... from what I was mostly interested in was does ... of trying to move them to bed this girl that I possibly could have made you gotta know models that ... are ... there ... any though up ... those elementary love songs you know those spoke to the core of ... you not to like ... them due to problems in a row on the albums they were even with the written for ... mass consumption they were actually written specifically ... for you know whoever ... my love interest was at the time ago I had them when it has produced economy Apple and Dell was this low ... I was missing the container that was missing that diesel was in my ... mind Jackie O U S cases be so you're an elevated ... with that as part of your identity here are ok with it yes I wanted to Gordie or studio to get you feel that the ... robber told me he said on his tiny tiny get away from the producer PropCo ... you're backing away from production for now ... among the wheat from production ... might be back and we will ... be making pursued rails is ... the Number outwards of what the pay my dues and respect write to spend hours and hours does ... putting the cake in a class together ... I'm really interested in making records ... images did not only make directors were also in filmmaking ... on you my entire business where were were were about to cost sixteen and he is ... on you to ... own and don't know my entire business is really based on visual media ... fused with the music ... of giving people a window into my process and then of hopefully that's serving as an advertisement for the live show ... I really believe is ... competitive with ... any of the best live show in the bill ... I ... all they do believe that you were one of the for ... people ... to be a MySpace or YouTube star ... actually have a camera man follow you everywhere ... document what you're eating for breakfast where you hang are now ... in everything and banned from all that and get ... hundreds of thousands of flowers that's the model now ... if ... you were doing that in the late ninety ... s ... where did you get it ... or did you intervene ... well ... I would just say that ... the boys before thinking ... and so on ... I was Ella's first person to to use YouTube because ... of actually using based on seeing someone else to Zino MySpace does believe that ... I understood the power of the Tasmanian ... and ... and to maximize do ... to put in a position to do and I loved it when you pay Justin Bieber K read it ... wanted to pick up artist and don't stand out why would that be ... the model ... of ... drinking as yourself as an art that I think that is that they ... currently use a cornerstone ... of ... creating on it ... and I believe that there are going to be a ... I think the music industry really is going to shoot ... in my opinion I think the music industry has commissioned two people were playing to the audience is continually interested ... and I think the new ... I think it will be able to ... have ... a sustainable build a sustainable lifestyle ... EVP does have a thousand in two ... thousand and one of the new one hundred dollars the year ... for all of your music ... on to succumb to to to show ... on you know you you live in the middle class American life ... um you know luckily for me and I'm doing ... financially More than that ... of month over month ... going to ... believe that ... I think this could be good for our good news here in the coach ... one other things that really touched me last night being backstage with the fact that you you guys were doing pushups and drink in ... about a wire ... you know some of the BGC backstage ... Rockstar ... prolly didn't scenario ... kids talking about Star now it opt out of college because I wanted to do production reduced me in writing inspired me it was really something that you ... condo mortgage or grew to be sure that everybody is ... molded in everybody's ... yet let me out like I said I believe technology and dance moves into balance and this will ... allow us to live longer ... so on you know ... to do is the case for just you know ... you only live once and in the village is going as hard as you can I mean ... I'm not in it I don't have anything against my iPod counterparts who really enjoyed ... marijuana or you really enjoy it I'll call it amazes dividend to me ... like ... bottled water in exercise and ... just being as explosive as I possibly can be traced to ... a new door new ... and only ... new new new ... four ... the ... race for ... the Iraqi so the present ... and with Ryan Leslie I mean Hawkins for The Business of Celebrity ... receiver ...